Some of the finest naturalistic scenes ever produced in Egypt are products of the Amarna period. On the left, an image of a barley field stirred by a gentle breeze captures a fleeting moment in time. Above, a cluster of juicy grapes hangs among a bunch of leaves. Here, the artist has used two distinct carving styles. He incised the grape leaves very lightly. But he scooped the background away so the grapes appear ripe and sculptural.

In the relief of fish at bottom right, the artist has used a more schematic approach. Lotus and papyrus blossoms float like sculptured islands in a pool of water represented by a zig-zag pattern. From the decoration on a box in the tomb of Tutankhamun, we know that in the complete scene the king sat by the side of the pool, shooting arrows at fish. The pharaoh is not preserved here, but in the lower left-hand corner we see the top of the head of a princess, who carried the captured fish on an arrow. Most of the colors on these reliefs are modern. The original palette was more varied and included red, yellow, blue, black, and white.